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DISCOVERY SCREEN: THE DEN

It wouldn't be Frightfest without a smattering of found footage; the sub-genre that's guaranteed to get horror fans fired up about dodgy camerawork and lack of imagination. Fair play to Zachary Donohoe, though, his first foray into directing brings an interesting deviation from the usual camcorder footage, presenting everything occurring in the film from computer screen images. It worked for the webcam sequence in V/H/S (Joe Swanberg's The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She was Younger) so there's no reason why it can't work here. And there shouldn't be any need for a discussion on how a computer video ended up on VHS tape.

The Den is scheduled to play Discovery Two at 20.30 on Friday 22nd August. It's already had some very positive accolades from the likes of Dread Central, Bloody Disgusting and Fearnet so if its competing Main Screen opponent doesn't appeal, why not duck out and catch this one?

Synopsis:

A provocative and compelling Rear Window for the Internet generation, this enjoyably creepy and sobering horror is recounted entirely via computer screen images. Graduate student Elizabeth has received a college grant to study the habits of webcam chat users from the apparent safety of her apartment. The website she chooses to scrutinize is 'The Den' and surfing through she is shocked to hit on footage of a woman being tortured and killed. It soon becomes apparent the killer is on to his witness as he hacks into Elizabeth's computer. Soon the unwitting student and her loved ones are targeted for grisly fates.

Fuelled mostly by coffee and a pathological desire to rid the world of bad grammar, Daniel has found his calling by picking holes in other people's work. In the rare instances he's not editing, he's usually breaking things in the site's back end.